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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think tumble dryers are a waste of time - towels and bedding aside?

151 replies

principalitygirl · 31/01/2014 11:42

I recently bought one, hoping it'd be life changing. But turns out that loads of what I wash can't be tumbled...?? Most of my
little ones tops, vests and babygros are 100% and are labelled do not tumble dry?! I've ignored it, dried them on low and now they've shrunk. Jeans shrink too. Feel totally misled!

OP posts:
LittleBabyPigsus · 31/01/2014 17:55

I love mine and the heat kills dust mites - very helpful for me if I need to wash things on a cool wash.

marzipanned · 31/01/2014 17:55

YABVVVVVVU :)

My tumble drier is my favourite non living thing in my house. I haven't ever had anything shrink - things come out a bit tight sometimes but that's no different to any wash, and when they've been worn once they're fine again.

Mm...sticking my face into a basket of warm, freshly tumbled clothes is one of the highlights of my day.

invicta · 31/01/2014 17:59

I only use it for towels, bedding, socks, etc. Dcs do alot of sport, and none of their football kits etc can be tumbled dried.

SpookedMackerel · 31/01/2014 18:25

But why do people hang washing over banisters and doors? What's wrong with a drying rack?

Do washing in morning, hang on rack to dry in bedroom ( or any room that is empty during day). If necessary transfer overnight to living room. Or do washing in evening, hang in living room, in morning if not dry transfer to bedroom- mine is usually dry in a day anyway.

wontletmesignin · 31/01/2014 18:31

I have 4 kids so i use doors, banisters, radiators and clothes horse if needed.

Wishing i had the funds for a dryer right now! Im sick to death of bloody washing.

SirChenjin · 31/01/2014 19:50

Why do I use the bannisters? I use 2 clothes horses too, but there are 5 of us all using bath sheets. A drying rack isn't big enough for clothes plus 5 bath sheets, so I use the bannisters. The heat rises upstairs and so if I hang them over the bannister at night they can be almost dry in the morning. I don't tend to wash during the day as I'm out at work. A quick 5-10 minutes in the drier or over the towel rail and they're dry. Otherwise you're looking at a couple of hours at least in the tumble dryer - far too expensive.

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 31/01/2014 19:51

We just haven't got room for a drying rack, wherever you put it it would be in the way. Yes it could go in a bedroom during the day and the living room at night but I'm not lugging a loaded rack down the steep narrow stairs every night. It always takes a couple of days at least to dry in this house as we don't have the heating on much. Most stuff goes in the dryer, anything that can't goes over doors and bannisters.

AmberLeaf · 31/01/2014 20:00

I love my tumble dryer. But I think I love my dishwasher more.

If they both broke at the same time, the dishwasher would be replaced first.

marzipanned · 31/01/2014 20:20

I vote dryer over dishwasher. But our house has massive problems with damp and condensation and laundry takes about three days to dry in winter.

expatinscotland · 31/01/2014 20:21

Love ours!

AnnabelleLee · 31/01/2014 20:22

yabu. I love mine, and have never shrunk anything in it.

KirstyJC · 31/01/2014 20:23

Most clothes that can't be tumbled actually can, just make sure it's on the lowest setting.

Things like socks, babygros etc can be pulled back out into shape again.

FudgefaceMcZ · 31/01/2014 20:37

Hmm, I don't even read the labels, everything except wool and synthetics go in, and yes my jeans feel tight straight after which has nothing to do with all the chocolate and some socks have shrunk a bit but it's better than having a damp house. Babygrows surely should be made to stand up to 90c washing and drying however you like? Sounds like bad manufacture of those rather than the dryer.

AmazingBouncingFerret · 31/01/2014 20:40

YABU. Buy everything in a larger size to make allowances for shrinkage.
that's what I do
Grin

tyaca · 31/01/2014 20:44

Dryer over dishwasher and day. Really not very bothered by dishwasher.

WitchWay · 31/01/2014 20:46

I have a washer-dryer & use the drying facility about twice a year either to re-proof waterproofs or to turn around school kit really quickly. I could easily live without it (by ironing the waterproofs & sodding the school kit) as I have a big warm airing-cupboard & hang things on the line when I can

rainraingoAWAYNEVERCOMEBACK · 31/01/2014 21:33

I put everything in mine and nothing has ever shrunk.

I am a shrinker too....but nothing has shrunk in our tumble dryer, i love mine and dont know how i survived without one, all the clothes look new and fluffly...velour baby suits, cord, anything that needs fluff comes up so well...i love mine its invaluble.

mumslife · 31/01/2014 22:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Littleen · 01/02/2014 00:25

I just got a tumble drier, and managed to do a whole weeks worth of washing in a day!!! So happy! And of course, not everything can go in it, but some can and will free up the drier for all the other things :) epic imo

BackforGood · 01/02/2014 00:44

YABVVVVVVVVVVVU.
I leurve my tumble drier. All clothes cleaned, dried and put away within a day. No washing hanging about the house, or at least very few items that don't go in. No ironing. Lovely soft towels. Would hate to have to manage without one.

steff13 · 01/02/2014 00:49

I love my dryer. I do ten loads of laundry a week, I don't know what I would do without a dryer. I love when the clothes come out all soft and warm. :)

Freckletoes · 01/02/2014 01:41

YANBU. We had a drier for a few months when we were crammed into a small damp caravan for a year. Still barely used it then! Sold it almost pristine (kept in a shed and left most of the packing material on!) and went back to air drying. Don't do a whole lot of ironing if I can avoid it so a dryer would make no difference there. Surprised at the amount of posters who use them-I always thought the States was odd with so few people air drying clothes (and laws against it!) but it seems it's the same here in Blighty. Do admit you need one to dry duck down jackets though!

tiredoutgran · 01/02/2014 03:45

Wouldn't be without mine, 7 of us in the house including 4 children. I love to line dry but over winter it is just too much having to rush in and out every time it rains or it is too damp to hang out. I think bedding is the only thing I don't put in it.

SelectAUserName · 01/02/2014 04:12

Oh don't, all you tumble dryer fans. We're in the process of moving to a smaller house with no room for the tumble dryer (and believe me, I've tried every permutation of furniture) and I am practically weeping at the thought of having to go back to air-drying everything Sad

mathanxiety · 01/02/2014 07:20

YABU and you are buying the wrong clothes. I use mine for just about everything I own.

Who wants a house constantly damp from drying clothes, and clothes spread everywhere?

And you can plan your washing instead of having the weather dictate when you'll do it, or importantly, when you'll get it finished and out of your way. It's a lovely feeling just to get it done and out of sight.

5 DCs make it worth every single penny. Buying enough clothes for them all to have a change while waiting for long spells through the winter for drying would bankrupt me, and the process of clothes manufacturing isn't all that environmentally friendly; above all, cheap clothes are cheap because the people making them are treated like slaves.

I love my dishwasher too. O got my first one when I had 3 DCs and didn't know myself.